Writing a Trilogy by Susanne Matthews

Writing a Trilogy by Susanne Matthews

Hello! Thank you for inviting me to visit Writing in the Modern Age again. It’s
always a pleasure to be here. Today I’m going to explain the way I chose to
write my trilogy, The Harvester Saga, a suspense romance thriller. As an added
bonus, if you comment on this post, you may win a digital copy of In Plain Sight. Please remember to
leave your email address and preferred format.

As an author, one of the hardest things to do is creating a
new plot—one that will enthrall readers and leave them wanting more. Two
years ago, I had an idea for what I believed could be an incredible book, but
the minute I started typing, I knew it would be far too long for one book. The
main characters, Rob and Faye, needed more than one mystery to solve and time
to deal with the slights of the past that had ruined their relationship. They
had preconceived notions to deal with, and while their ardor had cooled, the
love they’d shared had never died.

With that in mind, I envisioned a trilogy, where the plot would
grow more complex with each book in the series. As always, a catchy title was
needed. Originally, I’d named the book, Lie Down With Dogs, since getting
involved with the wrong people created the problems, but my publisher wasn’t
keen on that. Since a carnation played a significant role in the first book, it
seemed logical to give the books flower names. Once we had the titles, the
covers were created, each with a single white flower, dripping blood, on them.

The first book, The White Carnation, had to hook the
reader, but while I knew it would only tease at the main plot, I gave Rob and
Faye, second chance at love couple, a happily for now, since there was still a
killer out there to stop. The book has lots of twists and turns, and will get
your heart rate up. Here’s the cover blurb:

The last person disgraced reporter Faye Lewis wants back in her life is
Detective Rob Halliday, the man she blames for ruining her career and breaking
her heart. But when she finds an old friend murdered, he's the one she calls.

For the past year, Rob and his team have been hunting the Harvester, a
serial killer who ritualistically murders new mothers and vanishes with their
infants. What Rob doesn't need is another case, especially one involving his
ex-fiancée.

Then Faye is assaulted, and Rob realizes the cases are connected. She
may hold the answers he needs to find the elusive killer. But the more they
investigate, the more complex the situation becomes. Can they set the past
aside and work together, or will the Harvester and his followers reap another
prize?

Here
is an excerpt from The White Carnation.

Twenty minutes later, the unmarked police sedan pulled up
behind the black and white outside the brownstone. The paramedics were parked
farther along the street, just ahead of the police car, reducing traffic to a
single lane. The coroner’s van pulled up behind them. Rob got out and
approached the coroner.

“Amos, I didn’t expect to see you here so soon. I called for
a bus, not the meat wagon.”

“Paramedics were nearby so Logan got here quickly. He
radioed in—exsanguination due to a lacerated throat. He’s still up there.
Nothing he can do for the victim, but your fiancée is taking it hard.”

“The victim was like a second mother to her.”

Your fiancée—Amos’s
words were true once, but never again. There was no way Rob would hitch his
wagon to a woman who could believe he’d betray her like that, a woman who’d put
her job so far ahead of him, he’d barely been on her radar at times. The sex
had been great, but love was supposed to be more than that. Still, she’d
reached out to him. He took the stairs to the brownstone two at a time, his
lean, muscular body having no problem with the climb. He flashed his badge at
the officer who stood guarding the door. “Anyone showing any interest?”

“No, Detective. According to the concierge, the people in
number five are in Europe, and I don’t think the rest of the residents are home
from work yet. Looks like a robbery—the place has been tossed pretty good—and
there’s no damage to the door, so she must have let them in. Logan says her
throat’s been slit from behind.”

“Where’s Ms. Lewis?”

“In the living room with Logan. He wanted to take her to the
ER—claims she’s in shock. I told him she had to stay put until you arrived.
He’s pissed at me. Says I’m interfering with his job. He seems pretty friendly
with her. I heard she’s some big shot investigative reporter.” He chuckled.
“Some crime reporter—she’s puked a couple of times already.” He continued to
laugh. Rob’s face must have reflected the anger moving to the surface because
the guard choked it off.

“Rick Logan is one of the best paramedics we have. For the
record, McMillan,” Rob read the nameplate on the policeman’s uniform, “the next
time he says someone has to go the ER, you’d better damn well listen to him.
And as for Ms. Lewis, the victim was a personal friend. It’s different when the
victim’s someone you know.” His voice was clipped, his displeasure obvious.

Rob turned and entered the apartment. He’d learned the need
to remain objective in order to do the job properly, but as he’d told the young
officer, it was different when it was personal. Not only had the victim been an
acquaintance, Faye was in there. He swallowed and tried to find the emotional
distance he needed.

The place was a mess, just as the officer had said. He
looked around quickly, his trained eye taking in everything in an instant—the
wallet on the table, money on the floor mixed with the victim’s blood, the
take-out bag, Faye’s purse and its scattered contents. Whatever this had been,
it hadn’t been a routine robbery. Someone had been looking for something other
than the usual snatch and grab items, so what were they after? What could Mrs.
Green have that was worth dying for?

__

The White Carnation resolves some issues in the story, but leaves
the reader looking for answers. The biggest ones of course are who really is
the Harvester? and will he strike again?

That set the tone for the next book in the series. While not
all readers and editors like prologues, sometimes they are necessary. The
White Lily begins with a prologue, one essential to the plot and the
reader’s understanding of the heroine. As the story unfolds, the plot thickens,
and the Harvester, now known as the Prophet, the leader of a strange and
dangerous cult, takes on more of a persona, the actions of his followers
extreme and frightening. Since the story is an on-going one, the main characters
from The
White Carnation join the secondary ones in the hunt for the sociopathic
leader of the cult. The main characters, Lilith and Jacob, have been to hell
and back. Both carry physical and emotional scars that impact their ability to
love. As they discover more and more about their nemesis, they also learn to
love and trust one another, proving that love can conquer all and beauty is
definitely in the eye of the beholder.

Here is the blurb for Book Two.

The Harvester is out there...watching, waiting, biding his time.

FBI cult specialist Lilith Munroe lives in dread that one day the man
who tortured her when a case went bad will find her again. So leaving her
sanctuary in Quantico to join the Harvester Task Force in Boston is her version
of hell. But the Harvester is kidnapping babies, and Lilith's profiling skills
may mean the difference between life and death for the most innocent in
society.

Australian millionaire and former member of the New Horizon commune
Jacob Andrews returns to the United States searching for his sister. Instead of
the happy reunion he expects, he discovers she is dead and his twin brother may
be responsible. He agrees to lend his law enforcement skills to help find his
former cult leader before the man can implement his plan to kill millions.

Now uneasy partners, Jacob and Lilith must learn to trust each other
even as they fight their growing attraction. But when Lilith's greatest fears
materialize, will Jacob be able to set aside his anger and save the woman he
loves?

Here
is an excerpt from The White Lily.

“For God’s sake, Halliday, slow down. My legs aren’t as long
as yours. Where’s the fire?” Lilith said as she headed down the stairs. “And
why the hell couldn’t we take the elevator?” Since Rob was a good foot taller
than she was, she was running to keep up, and with the four-inch heels she’d
chosen to wear this morning, she was apt to fall and kill herself.

So this is why they
call it breakneck speed.

“And please don’t call me Lily. I prefer Lilith or Munroe.”

He slowed slightly. “Sorry, Lilith. I’ll try to remember
that. As for the elevator, it would be awkward considering my behavior toward
Mr. Andrews this morning,” he said, and she could see the embarrassed flush on
his face.

“It’s okay. He isn’t going to press charges. He’s actually
been quite nice about the whole thing. So, where are we off to in such a rush?”

“We’ve got a multiple homicide on Lawrence. Tom left
early—it’s his wife’s birthday. His daughter has been planning this surprise
party for weeks. The murder falls under Boston PD jurisdiction, but since the
rule of two applies, Trevor said I could take you with me—as an observer, so
keep your hands to yourself. That being said, if you have any profiling
thoughts while you’re there, feel free to share.”

Standard operational procedure dictated that two people
handle any calls that came in. This was for their protection as well as for
that of the victims. Her father, a career cop, had drilled that concept into
her. His partner had chosen not to wait for him and had walked in alone on a
domestic. The man had gone out in a body bag.

“Besides, I figured you’d want to come along. You’re still
trying to make sense of the Richardson case. The 9-1-1 caller was almost
incoherent, but she did mention that there’s a child or children missing. I
want you to focus on similarities between those crime scene photos you
memorized and this one.”

“Will do, but you do realize I’ve never actually been to an
active crime scene, don’t you?” she asked, hoping her nervousness didn’t show.

“I figured as much, but you’ve got to lose your cherry
sometime. You’re a field agent now, and that means you visit the crime scenes
yourself. Just remember, if you’re going to vomit, try not to contaminate
anything.”

Great. Just great.

____

As with The White Carnation, The
White Lily wraps up some of the mysteries in the story, but not all.
The reader learns more about the Harvester and his cult, and the ultimate
threat, the Great Burning, a planned event of Biblical proportions.

Book Three, The White Iris, was the hardest book
to write for two reasons. The first, I had to find a new couple, but one I kept
thousands of miles apart for most of the book. The second, I had to resolve all
of the remaining plot issues, tie up all the loose ends, and bring the plot to
a satisfactory conclusion. So, I had to unmask the Harvester, explain his
sociopathic tendencies, and prevent the Great Burning. As with the first book,
I chose the trope of a second chance at love romance, but instead of bringing
in two new characters to be the hero and heroine, I used a secondary character
who’d been at the heart of each book and his ex-girlfriend. Meet Trevor and
Julie. With the unique skills she could bring to the story, the reader learns
that the Great Burning will involve a biological threat.

And so the quest for Eden, the mysterious home of the cult
begins. While most romance novels have the couple together for most of the story,
Julie and Trevor regain their love and trust at opposite ends of the country.
Much of their time together is done through phone conversations, something
couples who have to be apart for long periods of time will understand. Long
distance relationships are part and parcel of our society today. Here is the
blurb for The White Iris.

Time's running out for Special Agent Trevor Clark and his FBI task
force. They're no closer to uncovering the identity of the Prophet, a dangerous
serial killer who has been murdering new mothers and vanishing with their
infants. If Trevor can't unlock the clues, the killer's threats to unleash what
the FBI suspects is biological warfare could mean death for all of them. His
only recourse is to swallow his pride and reach out to his former fiancée, the
CDC's renowned virologist, Dr. Julie Swift.

Two years ago, Julie ended their engagement after Trevor abandoned her
when she needed him most. Now, faced with the possibility of the greatest
epidemic since the Spanish flu, she has to put her faith and her safety, as
well as that of countless others, into the hands of a man she doesn't trust.
Can they set aside their differences to stop the Prophet, and in doing so, will
they find the love they lost?

From the streets of Boston to the wilds of Alaska, this thrilling
conclusion to the Harvester Series takes several turns you won't see coming!

Here
is an excerpt from The White Iris.

Shutting down the computer, she got up, twisted her hair
back into a chignon, and fastened it with her clip. Pulling open her bottom
drawer, she removed the makeup bag there and took out the compact and lip
gloss. As soon as she’d done what she could to make herself look fresher, she
grabbed her lab coat and put it on to hide the overly casual outfit. Satisfied
this was as good as she’d get, she headed up the two flights of stairs to the
director’s office. She might not be ready for the cover of Vogue, but she could probably manage Science World.

Knocking on the door, she opened it. “Sorry I’m late…”

Her throat closed, preventing her from saying anything else,
her pride coming to the rescue and keeping her from falling flat on her face.
No. This wasn’t happening, not to her, not today. The man standing next to Brad
was Trevor Clark. This was a storm all right, one worse than any Colorado
blizzard might be.

I’m going to kill
Ellie.

“Julie,” Brad said, coming forward, buying her a few
precious moments to get herself under control.

“We’ve met,” Trevor said, his voice husky, but he didn’t
look surprised. His shadowed, deep blue eyes bored into hers as if he was
searching for something.

She gritted her teeth, wishing the floor would open up and
swallow her. Her thumb rubbed the base of her ring finger as if the band she
hadn’t worn in two years was there again, only this time it pained her.
Whatever Trevor was looking for, she’d be damned if he’d find it. She pulled
herself together, refusing to allow even a muscle twitch to show seeing him
again upset her.

The man responsible for so many tears and sleepless nights
stood there, stone-like, his face not betraying a thing. He’d always been good
at hiding his feelings, and now it seemed he’d perfected the ability. The only
sign that he might not be as relaxed as he pretended to be was his clenched
jaw.

He’s uncomfortable—the
son of a bitch should be in abject pain and agony.

As always, Trevor was impeccably dressed in a pale gray suit
with a coordinating shirt and a blue, gray, and silver silk tie. His light
brown hair, as thick as ever, was cut short, and he wasn’t wearing his glasses.
He looked tired, but when he was working a case he rarely got more than a few
hours’ sleep each night. He was clean-shaven, and the faint scent of the woodsy
aftershave he always wore tickled her nose.

__

People have asked me what the hardest part of writing a
trilogy like this was. The answer is simple. Keeping track of all the story
threads and making sure that all of them were neatly tied together by the end
of Book Three. Many of those who’ve read the Harvester Saga ask me when I’m
going to write the next white flower book. Some even provide titles, such as
The White Rose, The White Poinsettia, or The White Lilac. It’s tempting to
reunite the team and solve more crimes. I do have an idea in mind, but time
will tell.

This month, my publisher is offering all three books in one
convenient package, and the bonus is that you can save ten dollars in the
process. The Harvester Saga contains the three complete novels: The
White Carnation, The White Lily, and The
White Iris, all for less than one U.S. dollar,so why not:

Join Boston's crack detective team as its members track down the most
heinous serial killer to ever strike the city, the Harvester. Clues and cults,
dead ends and danger await these expert crime solvers as they team up with the
flames they left behind and race against time to save everything they love.

Thank you so much for
having me here. Don’t forget to comment, with your email address and preference
for a mobi (Kindle-compatible) or epub copy for your chance to win In Plain Sight.

Here is the blurb.

In life, you pay a price for everything you do. Widowed, her dream of
starring on Broadway in ashes at her feet, Misty Starr yearns for a happy,
healthy, normal life for herself and her four-year-old daughter, Debbie. Settled
in Pine Falls, New York, a sleepy little town filled with friendly people, she
believes she’s found it and feels safe enough to sing in an amateur theater
revival of Jesus Christ Superstar.
She’ll do anything to keep this life even if it is built on lies, because
revealing her secret is impossible. When Nick Anthony joins the cast as music
director, Misty is attracted to the man who stirs up feelings she thought long
dead, but can love grow on a bed of deceit?

A former concert pianist and secret CIA courier, Nick lives in darkness
ever since the accident that killed his wife. The doctors say there’s nothing
wrong with his vision, so why can’t he see? Hiding from his former life, he
reluctantly agrees to help with the musical and is drawn to the young singer
with the voice of an angel. When a mysterious fire destroys her home, Nick vows
to keep her and her daughter safe. After one suspicious event leads to another,
Nick is determined to protect them from an unknown assassin, but in order to do
that, he needs to know her secrets. With his money and connections, he’ll do
whatever it takes to save the woman he loves, but does she love him enough to
reveal the truth?

Good Luck!

Wow, thank you for giving us all the details that went into writing your trilogy, Susanne! Fascinating!
It sounds like a riveting series! And thanks for stopping by! :)

Readers, remember to pick up your copy of The Harvester Saga, or, if you prefer, each individual book of the Harvester Series!

Oh, and don't forget the cool giveaway Susanne mentioned! One lucky winner will get an ebook copy of In Plain Sight! Make sure to leave your name, email address, and format preference in the comments so we can reach you for your prize!

Guest Blogger Bio

Amazon bestselling author Susanne Matthews was born and raised in
Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. She is of French-Canadian descent. She’s always been an avid reader of all
types of books, but with a penchant for happily ever after romances. A retired
educator, Susanne spends her time writing and creating adventures for her
readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the complex journey it
takes to get from the first word to the last period of a novel. As she writes,
her characters take on a life of their own, and she shares their fears and
agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.

Not content with one subgenre, Susanne writes
romance that ranges from contemporary to sci-fi and everything in between. She is a PAN member of the Romance Writers of
America. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading or traveling to interesting
places she can use as settings in her future books. In summer she enjoys
camping with her grandchildren and attending various outdoor concerts and
fairs. In winter, she likes to cuddle by the fire and watch television.

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